News for UP Students and Employees in a New Section of Žurnál Online

Operational information, opening of nominations for university awards, internal calls, or invitations to courses and training. In addition to the UP Portal, student website, or UP Newsletter, you can now find essential information from the university's internal environment under a new item in the main menu of Žurnál Online called Internal News. You can read about the new section in the article.​

Fill Out the Survey and Help Bring New Things to UP

University ombudsman, online application for working from home, fair web (in Czech), or Easter morning for children of university employees – these and other advances in the area of work-life balance and equal opportunities were made possible by the survey "Do You Like Coming to Work?" two and a half years ago. Get involved now in the follow-up questionnaire and tell UP's Human Resources Department and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs how you like the new features and what else you would like. You can fill it out until December 15. ​Read more in the article.

Check Out UP's PR Annual Report for 2024

What was the year 2024 like at Palacký University? This is answered by the newly published UP PR Annual Report for 2024, which provides a comprehensive overview of events across eight faculties and other university departments. It is full of pictures and infographics and you can view it in Czech and English.​

LECTURES AND EDUCATION

We Are Increasing the Capacity of Zuzana Čaputová's Lecture Due to Great Interest

Due to the great interest in this year's Fischer Lecture, which will be delivered by Zuzana Čaputová, UP has decided to move the lecture from the Faculty of Law UP auditorium to the Flora Olomouc Exhibition Grounds, thereby increasing the event's capacity by an additional 200 seats. The registration form will be reopened on Thursday, November 20 at 12:00 and will be accessible until the increased capacity is exhausted. All previous registrations remain valid. The lecture will take place on November 27 from 5 p.m. in Pavilion A at the Flora Olomouc Exhibition Grounds. It will also be streamed, but only after logging into the UP Portal.​

New Series of Videos on Responsible Approach to Ourselves, Society, and the Planet 

Living sustainably means thinking about the future – about the world we will leave to future generations. At UP, we are now presenting sustainability principles in a series of five short animated videos. Each of them shows that even small steps can have a big impact – and that the university is a place where change begins. Watch 5 × 90 seconds focused on education, water and energy, well-being, waste, and transportation!​

Seminars for Managers: How to Get the Best Employees

How to create a recruitment strategy that attracts the most suitable candidates? What candidate assessment methods are really effective? How to conduct a job interview so that it reveals the real competencies of candidates? Seminars prepared for UP managers and manageresses will answer all these topics. They will take place in December 2025 and February 2026, and you can register now (in Czech).​

Latin America in the Labyrinth of Donald Trump: Tariffs, Interventions, Friends/Enemies 

Radek Buben, director of the Ibero-American Studies Centre at the Faculty of Arts, Charles University, will present what approach new American President Donald Trump is taking toward Latin America at a time when conservative and nativist political currents are growing stronger in many countries there. You will learn how the region is responding to new tariff barriers, changes in trade ties, or renewed tightening of anti-immigration policy, and also why tensions around Venezuela are increasing. The lecture will take place on December 2, 2025 (in Czech) from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Department of History, Faculty of Arts UP, Na Hradě 5, room 3.04.​

SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

The Rector of UP Will Award a Prize for Popularization of Science for the First Time

This year, for the first time, the Rector of UP will award a prize for the popularization of science. Does your colleague, student, or fellow student live by popularizing science ? Do they appear regularly in the media, where they tirelessly explain their scientific topic? Nominate him or her for the new Rector's Award for Science Popularization and Public Communication (in Czech) for 2025. Read more in the UP Žurnál article.​ (in Czech)

Werner von Siemens Award

There are only two weeks left until the deadline for applications on November 30, 2025 for the 28th edition of the Werner von Siemens Award for students, scientists, and teachers of technical and natural science fields (including medicine, IT, etc.). You can register at www.cenasiemens.cz (in Czech) no later than November 30, 2025.​

INVITATIONS

Accept the Invitation to Punch with the Rector

UP Rector Michael Kohajda invites all employees to a traditional informal pre-Christmas meeting over punch. The event will take place on Tuesday, December 16 from 1 p.m. in the courtyard of the Faculty of Arts (Křížkovského 10). The program will include a performance by the Ateneo chamber mixed choir, a Christmas workshop, and other accompanying programs. Further information and the program will be specified.​

Well-Being for University Staff

This online course is intended for both academic and non-academic university staff who wish to strengthen mental health and well-being within the higher education environment. Through interactive workshops, participants will examine the current state of well-being in academic institutions, learn how to assess psychological wellness, and practice practical techniques such as mindfulness, relaxation strategies, and effective micro-pauses. The course will also guide attendees in developing strategic steps to help embed a culture of well-being within their teams and departments. It will take place on December 9, 2025 from 10:00 to 12:15 as part of the lifelong learning programme for early career researchers and PhD students. Register here.​

University St. Nicholas Show

Have your children been good all year? Even if they haven't been, it doesn't matter – you can still take them to the university St. Nicholas show of the UP Academic Sport Center on Thursday, December 4. Admission is free, but you must register (in Czech). You can order a package with treats for children worth 250 CZK, or you can bring your own package.​

Charity Sale of Poinsettias (Christmas stars) at UP

The UP Volunteer Center invites you to the fourth annual sale of poinsettias for the non-profit organization Šance Olomouc, which will take place at UP from December 1 to 4, 2025. See the sales schedule. (in Czech) The proceeds are donated to the care of hematologically, oncologically, and chronically ill children. In previous years, we managed to raise over 117,000 CZK together, will we raise more this year?​

University Science Will Be Presented at the Maker Faire Innovation and Technology Showcase

A space for all enthusiasts of innovation, science and technology, DIYers and makers – that's the Maker Faire (in Czech) festival, which will take place on Saturday, November 29 at the Flora Olomouc Exhibition Grounds. And Palacký University will be there (in Czech). Do you like new tech gadgets ? Do you assemble your own "thingamajigs" at home or are you a science enthusiast ? Visitors will find demonstrations of robotics, 3D printing, programming, and laser technologies in the UP exhibition.​

Astronaut Chris Hadfield – Journey to Cosmos

An exceptional guest of world-class caliber is coming to the Czech Republic – Canadian astronaut, author, and musician Chris Hadfield, who will present his multimedia performance Journey to Space. He will be joined by Czech astronaut Aleš Svoboda and cadets from the Czech Way to Space program. Thanks to cooperation with AFO, tickets with a 50% discount are prepared for UP through these non-public links: December 1, 2025 – Congress Centre Prague; December 2, 2025 – Bobycentrum Brno.​

NEW STANDARDS

• Standards for Supervisors of Doctoral Study Program Students at UP
  This internal UP regulation, effective from November 19, 2025, (in Czech) is intended for academic staff, especially supervisors of doctoral study program students. The subject is the establishment of standards for supervisors of doctoral study program students, their rights, duties, and evaluation of their fulfillment.​

All UP standards, including the ineffective ones, divided by UP units, with the possibility of filtering and searching in them can be found by students and employees of UP after logging in to files.upol.cz.

COMPETITIONS

Compete for Tickets to the Hope Astronaut Concert

The successful Olomouc band Hope Astronaut, which you may know from university events, will christen their new EP at Bluesbar Garch on Friday, November 28. And we have free tickets for two people for you. All you need to do is send us an e-mail to soutez@upol.cz by Wednesday, November 26 with the answer to the competition question: What is the name of the new EP that Hope Astronaut is releasing and christening on November 28?, and the tickets can be yours.​

To the Cinema with Premiere Cinemas and Maker Faire

You can hide from the damp weather at Premiere Cinemas – today you can win a free ticket for one person + refreshments. And how to do it? Write to us how many makers will be part of the 2025 edition of the Maker Faire festival in Olomouc. Send your answer, which you can easily find in the catalog of makers, to soutez@upol.cz by Wednesday, November 26.​

Learn the Story of Aljo Beran, Creator of the University Coat of Arms 

With his brush and personality, he made an indelible mark on the history of Olomouc. In 1946, he designed the iconic and timeless UP coat of arms and played a significant role in its restoration after World War II. We're talking about Aljo Beran, whose life story is brought to you in a new publication (in Czech) prepared by UP Press in the Memory of UP edition. Today you can win one of them – just correctly answer the question of what person in a helmet is in the original design of Beran's coat of arms. Send your answers by Wednesday, November 26 to vydavatelstvi@upol.cz (!!).​